Dhaka, Bangladesh, 26 May, 2008 (IUCN) – IUCN Asia Regional Director, Ms. Aban Marker Kabraji visited Bangladesh from 18 May to 23 May 2008. During her stay in Bangladesh, she visited Tanguar Haor in Sunamganj district, a unique wetland ecosystem and a Ramsar site where IUCN Bangladesh is implementing a flagship project. “It is not often that we see such a pristine and beautiful area, with all the conditions just right for IUCN and its partners to make a difference to a truly unique ecosystem, and the people within it” said Ms. Kabraji after visiting the Tanguar Haor. IUCN Global Councilor Mr. Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, Mr. Kent Jingfors, Regional Programme Coordinator, IUCN Asia, Dr. Zakir Hossain, Director, Constituency, IUCN Asia Region and Dr. Ainun Nishat, Country Representative of IUCN Bangladesh also accompanied her during this visit.

About Tanguar Haor Project:

Community Based Sustainable Management of Tanguar Haor Ramsar site, in partnership with Government of Bangladesh, SDC, Intercooperation, IUCN members (CNRS and BELA) and GUS (a local level NGO) ), IUCN has started to implement a community based initiative to promote sustainable use and management of the unique Tanguar Haor wetlands ecosystem. This remote Ramsar site, bordering the Meghalaya hills of India, provides subsistence livelihoods to more than 56,000 people living in 88 villages on its periphery and represents a highly diverse ecosystem known for its many fish species and as a staging area for millions of migratory water birds. Taking an ecosystem approach, the project has worked to mobilize villages into “Union Ad-Hoc Committee” (UAC), an institutional structure for functional resource governance.  The UAC have prepared plans for income generating activities and setting aside bird/fish sanctuaries that will receive local protection. With the full support of government agencies, a benefit sharing system for fisheries in Tanguar Haor has been notified which sees income from fisheries shared between the local fisher, the UAC and the government. This is a departure from the previous commercial, leaseholder system and has provided the local communities with an important incentive to manage the fisheries sustainably.  After the initial success of the pilot phase, SDC has now asked IUCN to prepare for a full development phase of this initiative

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Notes to editors 

For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:

• Mahbubur Rahman Masum , IUCN Bangladesh Communications Officer, Tel: +880 2 989 0395; Fax: +880 2 989 2854;
  masumiucnbd.org; Web: http://www.iucnbd.org/

Photos are available at http://www.iucnbd.org/photogallery.html

More information available at: http://www.iucnbd.org/

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